I'm sorry You're A Hero And You Have To Leave
by Ruinus
Summary: Oneshot. Link is stuck in a time loop that replays his life over and over. The only reason he continues on is because of a red-haired farm girl.


**I'm sorry. You're A Hero... And You Have To Leave**

"You'll do it because it's the right thing to do."

He frowned at that, he always hated when she said that. It always left him feeling betrayed or abandoned, it reminded him who was and what he had to do. He didn't like the reminder, and his silence scared her.

"You'll do it won't you love? You- you have to."

Whatever hurt he felt never lasted long. He'd always look at her eyes and realized that she felt just as betrayed and abandoned as he did, perhaps even more so. She began looking at him with pleading eyes, growing increasingly desperate at every moment of his silence. She cried, tears beginning to pool around her deep blue eyes.

He closed the distance between them and wrapped her in his arms, shushing her as he started to play with her flame colored hair. "Shhhh," he cooed, "shhhh. I know dear, I know what I have to do." he paused as he felt her shake with her sobs, "I just don't want to leav-"

"Don't go." She whispered, her voice shaking. "I mean, you will. But, not now… look, it's late." She continued, her voice gaining some stability as she went, "It's late, you can't go now love. You'll need to be rested, you need to get some food." She slowly pried herself from their embrace, and quickly turned around, ashamed at her tears as he saw her wipe her eyes and comb her hair with her small hands. "I have to do my part too. You'll stay here tonight; you'll stay here with me." She began fiddling with her hands, and he noted her voice began to lose some of its confidence. "You'll stay tonight," she turned around quickly; he would have been surprised had he not seen her do this before, "if you want. Unless there's somewhere else you want to go, with someone else..."

"You know there isn't. You're the only one dear."

_Everyone else is dead._

She smiled as her eyes sparkled, and nodded quickly. "Thank you."

"Uh, you're welcome?" he responded quite unsurely, earning him another look at her smile.

"Go inside love, I was just about to sit down to dinner. No, don't worry;" she added when he saw his startled glance at a new grave nearby, "I buried him next to my dad and mom," she said in a whisper, "I think… Mr. Ingo wasn't himself, and he was my family. You, well you were there. You saw the look in his eyes at the end."

An uncomfortable silence passed by them.

_I'm sorry I couldn't save him._

"Now get inside, take off those damn gloves and boots, they look filthy. I'll be right in after I tend to Epona, and-"

"Link?"

The Hero of Time's eyes opened up to see the familiar soft glow of his fairy. Navi flitted to and fro before him, attempting to catch his attention. "Get your mind on the task at hand! You can go back later." She added tersely, causing Link to throw her an angry glare. She always did this before or after visits to the Ranch, and maybe he knew why.

"Right, later." He said in the most even voice he could, though both of them knew there would be no 'later'. He groaned as he pulled himself up in a sitting position, realizing he had fallen asleep and tipped over. Blinking a few times as he fought off the feeling of exhaustion he reached into a small pouch on his belt and pulled out a small bottle of Lon Lon milk and drank half of it down.

"Sorry for snapping at you," his fairy said as she sat down on Link's shoulder, playing with the strap that held the Master Sword's sheath, something she always did when she was embarrassed. "But we really have to keep moving. Do you hear music?"

"Yes I do," he finally said, "It's him, he's playing a piano upstairs. The Princess is with him."

"How do you know what?" she asked.

"The same way I know a lot of things."

"Oh."

He'd never told her, but then again how could he? How could he tell her he knew she would leave him? That he'd seen her leave and disappear, just up and fly out the window of the Temple of Time and out of his life hundreds of times. He looked at Navi, and wondered if he would always lose her, if there was nothing he could do to make her stay.

He had tried to save everyone he knew the first time this happened, the first time he had to repeat his life. He'd ran full speed towards the Great Deku Tree as soon as he acquired the Kokiri Sword and Shield, bolting past Mido and ignoring his shouts to stop and listen to him. He failed. The Great Deku Tree died as he always did.

He tried dissuading Saria from spending time in the Lost Forest, he begged her to ignore the pleas of help from the Forest Temple and the spirits within. She never listened, and he always arrived 7 years too late, she was always captured and killed, he'd only ever see her as a Sage from then on.

He always tried running across the large room of lava and burning rocks in an effort to reach Darunia before he could enter Volvagia's chamber, or always asked him to wait, to head back to the Goron city and see to his people. But the old Goron would always enter the chamber alone, he'd never stop and wait for Link, or he'd never hear him. Link would trip, or be distracted by an enemy, or a small volcanic eruption. There was always something. Link would always enter the chamber to see the charred and half eaten corpse of his Big Brother.

Ruto was the same. She never waited for him, swimming gracefully into the depths of the Water Temple, following the currents straight to her death. He could never remove the iron boots that anchored him to the ground fast enough to follow, he could never swim and catch up to her, whenever he asked her to go outside or stay with him, she brushed him off as a love struck fiancé, and that "there will be time for that later darling." There never was a later, he'd always reach her body, strangled and broken by Morpha. She'd use every dying breath to call him her "hero". He always cried when he saw her like that.

Whenever he tried rescuing Nabooru from the twin witches as a child he never had any rope, any lifeline to rescue her from the quicksand that swallowed her up, and as an adult, despite his careful movements and strikes from his blade, Nabooru's brainwashed body would always be fatally wounded in their battle. She'd always be killed by his hand, and even though she had gasped more than once that it wasn't his fault, he always felt as if he was her murderer.

It was always the same. He was never strong enough, he was never fast enough, he was never persuasive enough to save his friends.

They would always die.

They had to die.

But Navi? The little blue fairy that was sitting at his shoulder, the girl who he's never had a clear look at? She always left of her own accord. No matter how nice he was to her, how much he talked to her, how many times he told her he was glad to finally have a fairy companion, she always left.

"Link?" she said, her voice low, and he suddenly felt her embrace him, her tiny body resting against his cheek. "I know it's hard," she said in a soothing voice she always used to calm him down, he realized he had tears streaming down his cheeks, "but we have to do this. It'll finally be over."

"Right. Right." He said, composing himself as he stood up, checking and rechecking all his equipment and nonchalantly wiping away his tears as they mixed in with the dust, sweat, grime and blood that was layered on his body and clothing. He lifted a finger and gently caressed Navi where he imagined her head to be, and soon felt what he imagined to be her hands and face nuzzling against his finger. "Thank you, you're one of my best friends."

"You are too." She said before they both became serious again. "Now let's go, let's finish what we started years ago."

"Yes. Ganondorf dies this time."

The two didn't talk as they walked up the stairs, though in Link's case it was simply because he had walked up this path so many times that he knew it by heart, he advanced up the stair case with his eyes closed, counting each step in his mind. Navi never noticed.

After 227 steps up the twisting flights of stairs and 18 steps along the terrace in which the stairs ended he opened his eyes and saw before him a giant metal door, the same minimal decoration of a dull gold sun flourishing from the center, the rays extending outwards.

"Navi," he whispered as he drew the Master Sword from its sheath and readied his Hylian shield before him, taking a stance that that lowered his center of gravity, "get behind me, or hide." He saw her wings momentarily stop in midair, a gesture of surprise amongst the fairy folk, "Trust me Navi. Hide."

As soon as she dimmed and vanished with a familiar swish, Link pushed forward, the door suddenly disappearing upwards as he approached it at full speed, opening the way towards a spacious room devoid of any decoration save the red and gold rug beneath his feet and the giant organ ahead of him, both of which were already dissolving back into the magic Ganondorf had formed them with. Zelda, trapped above in a brilliant pink colored prison, gasped as Link charged in.

This was the moment when, in another time, Ganondorf had opened up with a petty speech, demanding the remaining pieces of the Triforce be returned to him. Already Link saw a flash on his sword hand, and one on Zelda's and he quickly sidestepped as a ball of energy zipped past him, his entire body responding by the near miss as its intense heat washed over him, a giant bloom expanding behind him. Link swung his blade wide, bringing it down in front of the man ahead of him.

Ocean blue eyes met with fiery red ones as the two combatants locked eyes, the Master Sword being repelled by a magical field on Ganondorf's right hand, the Triforce of Power blazing brightly on it. No matter how much Link pressed forward, his blade never even connected with his hand, the mad man didn't even seem mused.

"We meet again boy." He spat, the rage of a thousand failed conquests evident in his voice, "How many times will you be pulled along by events you can't control, a prison you can't escape?" He snarled as he suddenly pushed forward and knocked Link clean across the room, the Hero of Time smashing against the wall with a sickening thud while Ganondorf flung his other hand forward, a crushing wave moving forward and slamming into Link back into the wall, the entire room shaking as he did so. Link grit his teeth and cursed under his breath as he saw the protective barrier of Naryu's Love shine brightly as it took the brunt of the attack. Link started running as soon as he caught his footing, his head ringing from the shock of the attack. He ran a wide circle across the room, Ganondorf's attacks going wide and far as balls of light splashed all around the room with an electric crackle.

Link learned a long time ago that Ganondorf would out power him all the time, every time. The only thing that kept him alive was staying on his toes and outfoxing the much stronger opponent, he wondered how he survived his first encounter with the red haired man. He brought his shield up as one of Ganondorf's attacks struck, the hairs on his body standing up on end as their energy washed around his shield, his hand burning slightly under the attack. Both of them new what came next, Link dropped to the ground, his shield covering his body as his hand lowered the Master Sword and dug into his bag, the enchanted item bringing forth whatever he willed in his mind.

Ganondorf roared from the center of the room, his blood red cape billowing behind him, "Not this time boy!" and brought his hands forward as light erupted from them and struck Link's shield, pushing him behind and lightning up the room in an impressive display of power. The shield melted and warped under the barrage, glowing a bright red is it deteriorated under explosions of light that nearly blinded Link through his closed eyes.

Had Link and Ganondorf not gone through these exact movements several times before, Link's aim would have surely been off.

Link flung the molten metal away from him, his hands clutching several bombs he had lit behind his shield flying out towards Ganondorf, who simply turned and wrapped himself in his cloak as the explosives detonated around him, gusts of flames and shards of metal flying about the room, his magical shielding faltering under the assault.

Moments later a giant gust of wind cleared the entire room of smoke, Ganondorf's tattered cloak falling towards the ground, embers eating away at scorched sections. "You are weak, you've never been able to stand against me on equal grounds, always scurrying about like a rat and hiding, cheating an-" his speech was suddenly cut off as an arrow tipped with light flew past his face shearing off his left ear in a gush of blood. In a fit of rage he suddenly flew forward, bringing a fist straight into his stomach before he had time to drop his bow and defend himself. He doubled over in pain as all the air escaped his lungs only to receive another punch to the side of his face. He twisted with the blow, the only thing he could do to avoid having his neck broken by the swing and saw a bright blue flash of light.

"Link! Get up!" Navi screamed from under his hat as he felt her small hands pull on his hair in a vain attempt to lift him up to his feet. Link struggled up, only to fall back down again, the blow to his head having dazed him more than he realized. He heard footfalls as Ganondorf approached him, wild laughter coming from the man.

"How does it feel to finally taste failure? You've failed, it's taken hundreds of years, but you've finally failed. And now," Link suddenly saw the room darken, the man above him condensing all the light in the room into the final killing blow, "I'll finish something I started all those years ago when I didn't kill a small boy with a toy sword and wooden shield."

Ganondorf's face erupted into a crazed grin as his eyes widened in anticipation. He readied himself and-"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Link had blindly dug into his pocket and taken out a Bomb-Chu, in his daze he had decided that doing anything was better than doing nothing. The Bomb-Chu had been lit incorrectly, and in a stroke of luck, detonated exactly behind the man. Both he and Link were flung backwards, landing close to each other in a heap and the Hero of Time quickly got his bearings on the situation. Ganondorf lay next to him, his back a mess of mangled flesh, shards of metal sticking painfully out of his back, blood and skin flacking off in sick clumps. Taking this opportunity, Link suddenly balled his hand into a fist and punched the man with all his might, momentary disgust entering his mind as his gauntleted hand connected with the sickly tangle of flesh and bone. He had some satisfaction as Ganondorf let out a howl of pain and jumped to his feet, bringing the Master Sword down in an arc, intent on finishing this now.

He yelled as he swung the blade high in the air, his eyes suddenly stunned by a flash of light, and terrible force that yanked the Master Sword out of his hand, twisting his wrist at an unnatural angle. Link blindly swung his free hand out and felt it caught by a hand. When the stars in his eyes cleared he saw Ganondorf, shot with bloodlust eyes and breathing heavily.

"THIS ENDS NOW, RETURN THE TRIFORCE TO ME!"

They both screamed, Ganondorf in a fit of rage as he summoned his power which burned Link's hand, while Link yelled out in pain. He swung another fist at Ganondorf and connected with his face, shattering the man's nose and on his second try both hands were caught by his still yelling opponent, light shining from his palms as he burned Link's flesh.

The two struggled for a while, one trying to break free and the other intent keeping a hold on his enemy and soon the smell of roasting flesh made its way to Link's nose, his hands under a pain he'd felt several times.

"Link!"

Navi suddenly darted out of his hat and flew straight at Ganondorf's face, "GET OFF HIM YOU BASTARD!" and flew straight into his eye temporarily blinding the man.

It was all Link needed and in a flash he brought up his knee, hitting the older man in the groin and reaching towards his back, his hand grasping an arrow and bringing it down in an arc straight into Ganondorf's neck. A jet of blood was spat into his face as the arrow connected with the Dark Lord's jugular, and suddenly the man's movements became erratic and rushed. Link forced the arrow in deeper, little beams of light jutting out through the wound in Ganondorf's neck and mouth.

Ganondorf's eyes focused on him and his hands shot out and clamped down on Link's neck and the green garbed man responded by shooting his hand out and grasping at Ganondorf's neck. The Hero of Time felt his neck burn and sizzle, he could feel the skin on his neck curl up and burn and char under Ganondorf's renewed assault, but they both new it was almost over, the Great King of Evil was dying.

Link suddenly slammed Ganondorf's head against the floor, freeing his neck when he felt Ganondorf's hands press up against his chest.

"LINK!"

He suddenly felt a tremendous push upwards, magical energies slamming into him and felt his arm, which had kept a vice grip on the vile man's neck, dislocate at the shoulder, but it held. He landed with a thud on something hard and sharp, the Master Sword!

"LINK! NOW LINK!" Navi's voice rang out, the small fairy flying above the battle.

He reached behind him and brought out the Master Sword, its edge cutting against his back as he did so, and in one powerful swing brought it down on Ganondorf's heart, a stream of blood gushing out of the wound, mouth, nose, ears and the sides of Ganondorf.

Link fell back, he had meant to aim for the head.

"LINK!" he felt Navi's small body fall on his forehead, small tears hitting his brow. "Link, he's dead, he's dead! I, I can-"

Link stood up, the small fairy still stuck sobbing on his head. He had meant to aim for the head, he brought up his sword again, intent on finishing this once and for all.

But he couldn't.

He never could.

It didn't matter how the fight went, how injured he was or wasn't, if Zelda appeared that that moment or a second after, or if the castle started collapsing now or later. Ganondorf's body always flashed and a powerful force knocked both Link and Navi back. He knew he could take the chance to get up and charge Ganondorf's dying body, kill him before he brought down the tower… kill him before he came back.

But he never did, he would always check on Navi, his constant companion after he heard her gasp in pain when they landed. He'd always focus on the Lon Lon milk that was spilling from a pouch on his chest, he'd always remember that he could never go home.

Zelda was beside him in an instant, freed from her prison, casting healing energies all around him, wincing at his wounds and the disgusting pop his shoulder and arm made when they were reconnected at the joint, worry on her face as his skin knitted itself back together, charred and death skin falling off of him in droves.

Navi was there too, flying and saying something.

Link never felt the next few moments, he was never aware of the fact that he he carried Zelda in his arms as they ran down the collapsing tower, dodging falling columns and masonry, being blasted with the heat of magical conduits overloading as the source of the castle's power, Ganondorf, faltered in life.

The truth was that he resented Zelda.

Resented that she was the reason he was stuck here, stuck in a loop with Ganondorf, repeating the same events over and over for all time. Watching his friends die, watching as he was left alone time and time again.

Her touch against his skin caused him an boil in rage, her stench of perfume burned his nose, her makeup and delicate features never gave him the impression of beauty. All her perfectly crafted and cultivated royal beauty did was highlight her ignorance and audacity, she was still the same foolish girl who had talked him into this stupid plan a thousand lifetimes ago. Her entire kingdom fell apart and she was still beautiful.

It disgusted him.

What he really wanted was to go home to the woman who smelled of hard work and sweat, of cows and horses, of the wild flowers she used when she bathed. A woman who was embarrassed by the fact that she had calluses on her hands and feet, who sang to farm animals and had a mane of fire for hair, who blushed whenever he carried her to her bedroom and whispered her declarations of love with everything she had.

But he could never go home.

_Why?_

_Why do I do this?_

Before he knew it he stood outside, his mind dazed and dulled and wrought with questions. Zelda sighed beside him, her regal voice flowing in the wind "It's over… it's finally over." Navi flying happily beside both of them.

"No."

They both looked at him.

"No, it's not."

He turned on his heel and charged forward again, his free hand digging into his bag and pulling out the Mirror Shield, his other hand gripping the Master Sword tightly. He muttered a spell under his breath the imprisoning feeling of Naryu's Love enclosing around him and yelled as he charged.

"Link! What are you-" Zelda's words died in her throat as Ganondorf flew out of the wreckage of his crumbled castle, his eyes glowing like the fires of hell in the darkness of the night.

Before their very eyes Ganondorf changed, and in an instant his human coils were shed off and revealed a giant beast of nightmarish proportions as fire erupted all around their last arena. Navi charged forward, her place was with Link, an automatic reaction that she didn't think twice about, undaunted by the sight before her.

Link and Ganondorf had been through this several times before, it was a well-choreographed dance by now, they both knew where and when to swing, they both knew what blows would land and which would be useless. Both of them, at separate times in their life, wondered if they were in control of their own actions…

Ganon's first swing went diagonally, gusts of wind accompanying each swing and Link deftly rolled under the giant golden blade coming inside Ganon's reach and stabbing his sword upwards, straight into the beast's heart.

He knew, just like Ganon did, that the blow would not kill him instantly, and Link prepared himself for the next movement of their fight, he was only able to barely turn his shield arm in time to meet the hilt of Ganon's blade. The blow struck so hard that Link was knocked off his feet, his arm nearly being crushed and the sides of the shield knocking into his lips where the polished sheen of the Mirror shield gave him a nasty gash, Naryu's Love flaring brightly.

"I WILL NOT FAIL THIS TIME!"

Ganon's words came from everywhere at once, driving deep into his mind, cutting through Link's, Navi's and Zelda's thoughts, and the giant beast charged forward, thunderous footsteps bearing down on Link as he scrambled to his feet.

Even if Ganon hadn't known that Link would next throw three Bomb-chus on the ground the sounds of their motors whirring up would have given them away. They had given them away in some other time.

This time he was more prepared, he slowed down in time to shield himself from the brunt of their detonations, and suddenly fear and anticipation shot threw him. He had changed the battle, last time he would have been stunned by the explosions, this time he was well aware. He turned and swung his blade, he knew Link would be attempting to cut off his leg.

That had always hurt.

Link's scream shot through the night, louder than any thunderclap, the Mirror shield bent straight down the mirror, most of its surface wrought with fractures. He landed against rubble, steel beams and concrete shards smashing against his back, a temporary flash of blue told him his magical shields still held. But more importantly he suddenly looked up, the fight was different!

_It's different! I can go home!_

He stood up faster than he had any right too and dropped the shattered shield and Master Sword, earning a gasp from both Navi and Zelda.

"GIVE UP, YOU CANNOT WIN, I WILL ALWAYS HUNT YOU DOWN"

The creature charged again as Link brought up his bow and reached for a light arrow, at this range he didn't aim, he didn't have to. He shot off several arrows faster than he knew he could, one of them going wide, the others hitting the beast in the knee, the chest and one pierced his eye. He saw Navi fly out of the way and followed her lead, diving for the Master Sword as he jumped out of the way, something clipping his foot as he did so. Both of them crashed, though Ganon's collapse was much more impressive, a titanic cloud of dust shooting up as he plowed throw several ruined walls.

Both of them were back on their feet and charging each other within moments, Zelda and Navi astonished at their speed and drive. While Link was a blur of movements, throwing out bombs of all types around the arena, nicking Ganon here and there with deft and graceful cuts, Ganon was a powerhouse, swinging large clumsy blows that shook the entire area when they struck the ground or cleaving columns of masonry as if they were twigs.

"Zelda!" Navi's voice rang out, "Do something! Link can't handle anymore!"

Zelda turned back towards the fight, hearing a sickening crunch as a hooved foot darted out at a lightning speed and slammed into Link's chest, several ribs breaking in the process. She nodded and holding her hands out decided it was time she took an active role in Ganon's downfall.

Link skid across the rough ground, wheezing and gasping for air, barely moving as a golden blade swung down at him that cleaved a large gash in the floor. He twisted on the spot, turning his body on the floor, and swung down on the beast's giant wrists, the Blade of Evil's Bane biting deep into the enemy's skin, nearly slicing all the way through the wrist, bone and blood jutting out of the sickening wound as the hand dropped the blade and hung at a disgusting angle.

"YOU LITTLE WORM! I SHALL GRIND YOU INTO DUST!"

Link rolled out of the way of a stomp that kicked up dust, and moved out of another that followed, blood flowing every which way as Ganon swung his wounded arm around.

"YOU CAN NEVER ESCAPE ME! WE WILL ALWAYS BE TOGETHER LINK!"

A stream of pinkish light suddenly washed over Ganon, dropping him to his knees, evidently causing him great pain.

"Link!" he heard Navi's small voice call out, "Link Zelda is keeping him suppressed, the Master Sword! USE IT NOW!"

"NO!"

Link turned towards Ganon, fear and anxiety welling up in him.

"NO! She's going to banish him and this will all start over! No!"

He charged in reckless abandon, the dream of escaping his eternal time loop clear in his mind and Ganon in turn struggled with all his might, his goal of finally killing the Hero of Time burning brightly in his twisted heart and burning glare.

Link ran and brought the Master Sword forward, the blade shining brightly in his hand as it neared its destined kill.

Ganon summoned his strength and put it all into one final thrust.

The sounds of blades sinking into flesh and bone rang in both Link's and Ganon's ears, Navi gasped and flew close to Link, scared to touch him. Zelda looked on with tears in her eyes and a choked expression.

Link had ran straight through Ganon's blade, piecing his stomach and coming out the back, he had run straight towards Ganon, the massive hilt of the golden blade stopping him from advancing further.

Ganon had met Link's charge through his sword and ended with the Master Sword shoved firmly down his mouth, splitting his jaw open as red fluids and saliva dripped down his mouth like a waterfall.

Link surprised them all by pushing forward and reached out for Ganon's horns, they all saw what he was about to do, and Ganon, in a last ditch to damn Link, spoke.

"YOU CAN NEVER GO BACK. WHY DO YOU DO THIS?"

A laugh, followed by blood, came out of Link's throat, he was panting heavily, his lungs collapsed from the blow he just went through. He looked Ganon straight in the eyes, a fierce determination entering his body.

"I do this because it's the right thing to do."

He then pushed down on Ganon's horns while pushing up with his blade arm nearly severing the giant beast's head off before he started flying. Ganon had thrown the sword, and Link with it, away.

As Link flew, his life, his many lives, flashed before his eyes. He had failed again. He hadn't killed Ganon. He couldn't end it.

He landed with a thud as the blade was suddenly pushed out of his body, Navi flying over him, small sparkling tears falling down her face as she cried out his name, begging him to live.

"All I want to do…" he coughed and startled her, "is live."

He suddenly felt a familiar lurch in his body as he felt the Sages 'imprison' Ganon away. He cried as he felt his body float up and felt his scars heal, he cried because he knew what was coming.

He didn't talk or look at Zelda as she explained her errors as they floated in a realm of clear blue skies that seemed to box him in forever. He smiled as she played the Song of Time and trapped him a portal that led him backwards in time. As she receded from view he cursed her, he cursed Ganon, he cursed the Sages, he cursed everything.

He closed eyes and beat against his temporal prison, yelling in an uncontrollable rage when he suddenly felt something different.

Arms were draped around his neck, and he could feel lips on his neck and a body against his own.

He looked down and saw a head of fiery long hair, smelt the familiar odors of a familiar ranch, felt something he only felt in fleeting moments in his life.

"Shhhh," she said in a soothing voice, one more beautiful than any song on any cursed ocarina and lifted a finger up to his lips with a smile on her face. She tip toed up and kissed him, her soft pink lips brushing against his own.

"You'll do it won't you love?"

He frowned at that, he always hated when she said that. It always left him feeling betrayed or abandoned, it reminded him who was and what he had to do. His voice was breaking from happiness and sorrow. "When will it be over?"

"I don't know love," she sighed, edging closer to him. "But you'll do it won't you?"

After a long pause of silence, both of them simply enjoying each other's company, with Link quietly sobbing and running his hands through her hair and hugging her, he spoke.

"I'll do it because it's the right thing to do."

It was all worthwhile when she whispered her declarations of love with everything she had.

Link opened his eyes, he was seven years old, he had no scars on his body from long tough battles, he had no small armory strapped to his back and he was lying on his bed in Kokiri Village.

"Wake up!" a small voice yelled above him. He turned and regarded her with a strange, faraway expression.

"Hello Navi" he said through a voice from seven years ago, causing the small fairy to stop.

"How do you know my name?"

"The same way I know a lot of things." He replied blandly. "Let's go, the Deku Tree is waiting for us."

He turned and his eyes fell on a small bottle, and his mind immediately went back to the ranch and his red-headed love, the girl he had met one day in a far away life an eternity ago, the girl he'd met for the first time again and again on his way to Hyrule Castle.

As he stepped out of his tree home and saw the small peaceful village of eternal children before him, his mind flashed thousands of images before him. All his friends and innocent people who would die by Ganondorf's hands were still alive. Maybe this time he could save them.

Maybe this time he would be stronger, faster.

Maybe this time he would end this and be happy and could go home to the woman who smelled of hard work and sweat, of cows and horses, of the wild flowers she used when she bathed.

He looked up and saw Navi flying above him, impatience evident in her movements and he looked over the horizon where the tall spires of Hyrule Castle were just visible.

_Ganondorf dies this time._


End file.
